Alabama A&M University junior Jay Mayes Jr. is building a future rooted in service, leadership and creativity, both on campus and in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. The accounting major and Crew 75 photographer and his family continued their long-standing holiday tradition, the Mayes Family Thanksgiving Giveaway, now officially known as the New Vision Outreach Group Thanksgiving Giveaway.
For more than two decades, the event at New Life Missionary Baptist Church has brought hope and holiday relief to families across Montgomery. The tradition began long before Mayes was born, when his father, Jay Mayes Sr., started serving Thanksgiving dinners at the Williams Kids Franklin Boys Club in 2004. What started as a small act of giving has grown into a community effort that now provides boxed meals to hundreds of households.
This year, 160 boxes were distributed to families, each filled with essentials, including the turkeys Mayes Jr. picked up, bagged and loaded into cars throughout the day. In addition to hands-on work, he used his photography and videography skills to capture the memories and preserve the impact his family continues to make…